Lost, And Found Again
by Althea Sage
Summary: After Lezlie's death Jess is lost. This is a story of how he finds himself again. Oneshot.


Lost. And Found Again

The king was sad. He sat upon a throne of branches amid the memories of her. No one could bring the light back into the kings eyes and the warmth in Terabithia was receding,. With the death of their queen, the wise and powerful Lezlie the Dark Master was rising, his control soon reached beyond the dark mountains and into the valley of gold. But their warrior king was gone without the woman that had helped him to see, he could barely stand and his eyes were red and swollen, unable to lend his strength to the Terebithian soldiers, a shadow fell over the land.

It has been foretold that each king of Terabithia must face the final test, must overcome the last barrier to secure the safety of the land from the Dark Master for the next generation of royals, they must be able to survive without their queen, and Jess was failing, and the world was disappearing. He could run no more, laugh no more, and the canvas that was Terabithia faded without his painting.

But one morning the King rose from his stupor and enraged he tore at the fabric holding Terabithia together, tore at the magic and went through the forest, his eyes burning in anger. The scrogers of course being not to bright, only saw the boy king without his armor and without sword in hand. But they never reached him. At the first sound of their taunting the king with a roar filled with anger and grief and anguish ripped them from the sky, from their perches and from the ground, pulled them from their pedestals built of fear and the bones of good Terabthians that had fallen at their feet. And the king wept as he tore them limb from limb, hurling them out of his kingdom, banished forever from the dark recesses of his mind. As the last beast fell, so did the king, upon the brown leaves of his fallen land he cried…

"I am tired! I am tired and I need to rest. I need to wake from this nightmare and go back home to the place where she will be waiting… can I not undo this day! I care not for my own endeavors, just please…let her live again" he finished with a sob.

And a shadow swirled up, leaching off the ground till the Dark Master stood before him, Jess did not look up, he did not acknowledge the enemy before him until the Dark Master spoke, "the charms are gone and my armies move freely throughout your land, but you have bested me oh great king, and in this defeat I can touch you no more. Rise, for you are a man and must rebuild your kingdom for the fallen queen's heir."

And then the spirit was gone, blown away by the breeze, and running quickly towards Jess was a young man with a stubbly beard, his white tunic was askew and in one hand he held his sword to his side and in the other held the small gold circlet to his head while trying not to trip over the bow hanging from his back. Prince Terian was a good hunter skilled with any weapon but he had a kind heart and ran swiftly to his aging father's side and helped him to his feet, but the man before him would not look into Terian's eyes but spoke softly "Can you ever forgive me?" he asked "Can you ever see me for anything but a selfish, broken man who has lost his way?"

Terian was heartbroken by his father's queries, "Father there is nothing for me to forgive, it was not your fault, if anything it's because I wasn't fast enough, wasn't strong enough… but please, I want you to know I will always be there to lead you home, and I will always trail behind to pick up the pieces. You may be broken, but you aren't ruined and there is still hope for the sun to shine again."

The king smiled "when did you become so wise?" Terian looked up with a small smile, "I don't know, I guess with mom's guidance I learned not only how to open my mind, but how to open my heart and let them become one." He said with a smile. The king took a deep breath and said "come with me." his voice was full of an authority and strength Terian had thought was gone forever.

They went to the river and as they passed, Teribithians came out of the shadows, and peeked at their broken king, but soon they were following the two men, both with such an air about them they couldn't be ignored. When Jess got to the river though, he stopped, tears in his eyes. Looking at the frayed end of an enchanted rope and suddenly their were voices, moans echoing around the valley and the Terabithians cowered in fear. The voices were harsh and loud, discordant and pained

"We thought you were dead!"

"It's your friend son, she's dead"

"The rope broke; we think she hit her head."

Jess, king of Terabithia had fallen to his knees at the awful moans that paraded through his conscience, but a warm hand grabbed his shoulder and for a moment he thought it was her, but it was only the hunter, he turned away to hide his pain but then, he steeled himself to his feet and looked back at his subjects. "My dear fellow Terabithians, we will build a bridge. A bridge joining the two worlds that have grown far apart since the passing of the queen. And when it is done we shall rejoice because nothing can overcome us! And we will be ready, ready for her heir to arrive and keep the darkness at bay, and keep Terabithia alive."

Then Jess turned toward the river and in a quiet voice he said "It is no longer our place my love, no longer our haven, for you have left me here alone and instead of a wonderful dream I live a nightmare, a dream where every cracking twig is you running up behind me and at every turn I see you there, racing ahead.

But perhaps in time my wounds will heal and my memories of you will become a blessing and not a curse. So here is to you my love, my friend, my queen, that I will never forget you, for as long as I live."

The two men turned from the river, the prince still supporting his father but as he watched, the king stood straighter and the years seemed to melt from his face. Then he turned to Terian and there was a smile on his face, even if there was still sadness in his eyes, "have I ever told you, that your mother could capture the sunlight?" he said with reverence. "She could open her little bag and pluck the sunlight from a reflection on a window, oh and how she smiled, her smile could turn a room to gold, and when she laughed, the birds stopped to listen. She was a fighter, and an imaginist, and a healer, and oh so wise. You know she successfully headed delegations with the giants?"

"I remember father."

"She saw the beauty in everything; we will never meet another like her PT."

"No, I don't think we will."

And the two men walked into the receding light, golden leaves crunching beneath their feet, they stood tall and strode into a new beginning, the impossible weight that they had carried lessening as they walked, until it was gone, but the king never lost Lezlie, he never forgot her, because a part of his heart would always belong to her, the Queen of Terabithia.

_Nothing Crushes Us._


End file.
